Coffee Parlor Hilltop, Pistache Chocolat (dome)

So, Sunday I went for one quite excellent shop and one quite superb shop, since I figured I wasn't going to get any cakes once the workweek restarted, which is turning out to more true than I expected (even if Isetan would open their normal hours, I couldn't get cake this week, from long work hours).

I started with a run/walk to Coffee Parlor Hilltop for an 8th cake from them. The cake that got them counted as exceptional was one great cake, Pistache Chocolat. Sunday too, they had a cake with that name, but it was obviously much different, so I gave it a try. This one I'll call Pistache Chocolat (dome) to keep it straight. Like it's name-sake, it has strawberry, perhaps much more. Inside the dome, there is a relatively lot of strawberry sauce for a nominally pistachio and chocolate cake. I'll say that it was colder than I should have eaten it (that sauce was a good heat sink). Even though I like cakes with an outer coating, this wasn't working as particular special. I appreciate the type and it was good, but this shop might have a tough time staying in the exceptional group, as any of the quite fine ones could challenge it with a great fourth cake, and there are a lot of shops in that list needing a fourth cake. 

Coffee Parlor Hilltop, Lemoncello

Ran to Coffee Parlor Hilltop to bring them up to 6 tried cakes, my target level for exceptional shops, so I can stop treating them as a new shop. It was a good run there, but I got lazy walking back about halfway, though I tried to keep it a good walk. I did basic indoor non-weights exercises at home. I had a late start, or maybe I would have done more.

As the 6th cake, I choose the Lemoncello, which is, according to my translation of the card, lemon cream and glaze and milky white chocolate mousse. It's a small cake, but elegant, and a nice change. I'll rate it excellent.

Coffee Parlor Hilltop: Laque Noir

The night of Christmas Day, I ran to Coffee Parlor Hilltop, where they had their normal cakes and no crowd, though some one came after me to buy, so they are getting some customers since reopening. This time and was more energetic and ran all the way back. As my cake, I choose Laque Noir, because it looked great, even if the composition is not very promising for me. Namely chocolate mousse, with fruit (potentially too much), and with a chocolate glaze. I dealt with it though. I look chocolate, and mousse, though just mousse can be a texture problem. I chilled it down to 1 degC, so it least started out sufficient firm to be control able. I also avoided putting the glazing directly on my tough, since I was correct that I was not appreciating the Laque(r) part of it, but it worked fine how I ate it. And the orange was not too much and harmonized fairly gently with the chocolate. I'm rating it excellent, so this shop is in good shape to get promoted. There are a couple shops already in the exceptional group that I'd like to hit first though, so I can wait for the sixth cake.

Coffee Parlor Hilltop: Biscuit Chocolat

Visited the newly reopened Coffee Parlor Hilltop. Now, cake is sold out of a counter off the hotel lobby rather than directly from the cafe, which is looking posher. I'm fine with that arrangement. Didn't see my favorite cake from there, but there was a reasonable selection even late. I went with the Biscuit Chocolat, which seems to be all chocolate, though in different forms, from a coating, plate, ganache, and cream. Not not sure but they didn't sneak in some coffee, but maybe I just scalded my green tea. I should have let it warm up more, but still it was at least definitely good and I've decided to say that it's excellent, as I approved of the construction and it was good chocolate, so they are still at the top of the quite fine shops and might move into the exceptional ones. I might end up at the same four shops next week, though it will depend on what I get to this weekend whether I'm looking for that many cakes during the week.

Cake-off: Origines Cacao's Printemps over Coffee Parlor Hilltop's Pistache Chocolat

Thursday, I took the afternoon off and first went to Isetan early enough that their Croissant Chocolat was not sold out. It was excellent. It is not sweet, but more a burnt (maybe literally) chocolate taste, which I approve of. Definitely better than average as a croissant. In news, there is a cake and a "parfait" that has cake elements enough that I'm interested, more than the average verrine, which I've grouped with fresh cakes. They limited to through Golden Week (and the parfait is only after 2 pm), so I'll have to act fast. No cake planned for tomorrow, saving it for Saturday. Since I've busy over golden week, I might try to fit in two cake-offs over the weekend to deal with seasonal cakes/shops. It depends on how the first cake-off goes. My bicycling for the day confirmed availability from the cake I wanted for take-out from the Coffee Parlor Hilltop and then I briefly tried to do the Akasaka--Azabudai--Roppongi--Toranomon loop but failed almost immediately. I didn't realize immediately, but I failed again later on more obviously, so I went hope to review.

Friday, I got another pastry, this time Croissant d'Almonde from Christa. It was definitely good but not really so different from most. I tried the Akasaka--Azabudai--Roppongi--Toranomon loop again but got confused once I had to cross the Roppongi-doori, since I guessed incorrectly whether I would stay on the bridge (if I had been on foot instead on a bicycle) and continue on to cross Azabu-doori, which I should have. It's coming back around that I need to cross in stages.

Saturday, I finally got cake again, making up for the two previous days by getting two for a cake-off. For the first one, I tried walking to Coffee Parlor Hilltop, and my feet seem okay, so that's huge progress. I'll maybe try running longer than enough to make the light next week. I was there at opening time (no line, but someone came in immediately after me). I got the Pistache Chocolat to go. Then I used Marunouchi Line to go to Ginza 6 to get Printemps from Origines Cacao and then I went home by train. I still found that the raspberry rolled off the Printemps, but it was in better shape generally than last time by bicycle.

These are both recent cakes that I worried I might have labeled as great without sufficient cause, but the first result of this first-round cake-off is that I still feel that both bring something special, so they pass that hurtle. I felt like Printemps brought slightly more complexity, or maybe I was just enjoying the white chocolate more, so it gets the win. Printemps is obviously a seasonal cake, but it's relatively recent, so I hope it can stick around a couple weeks to get in a second-round at least. I know Pistache Chocolat, and anyway F Cassel has a cake that has been waiting for an opponent and it lost its first-round, so I'm planning to do another cake-off tomorrow (so no cake-off next Saturday) for those two. I'm sure Hilltop will think it same to see me again for the same cake, but so it goes. I might manage fourth new cake them before they close, but really, except for that, three other shops would be my priority, and I wouldn't get back there next week in time.

For further exercise, I made my third attempt at the Akasaka--Azabudai--Roppongi--Toranomon loop and finally got it (as well as reviewing after two previous attempt, the sun up was probably helpful, though it still took a long time to find a way of crossing by bicycle as easily as the main bridge. A couple coffee shops are gone, but I added a couple Japanese confectionery shops.

Coffee Parlor Hilltop: Mont-blanc

Bicycled to Coffee Parlor Hilltop and ate in. There were a few cakes available (but only one of each visible), so I choose the Mont-blanc. It was definitely nice. The layer of chestnut was fairly thin, but it was also strong, so it was a good balance with the cream. I'm wondering whether there was some sort of alcohol involved, but it might have been just vanilla. I didn't care for the base, though, which is not visible. I guess I was expecting a biscuit or meringue but I'm not sure what it was, since it wasn't soft or crunchy, but was almost chewy, or at least it had some resistance to it. Maybe it was just a disk-shaped slice of chestnut, since chestnuts maybe have that texture. Still, it was good cake, so I might get back there before they close for renovation for 7 months starting April 30.

Coffee Parlor Hilltop: Pistache Chocolat & Savarin

No running today, or any time next week. I'll be happy when walking is more pleasant. Still, life goes on, and I had an excuse be out toward Ochanomizu, so I visited Coffee Parlor Hill Top for lunch. This came to my attention from an NHK problem, which is a better commendation than simply being in the neighborhood, though there are still some good prospects there. The lunch was fine, but I don't feel a need to blog it---Expensive, in a nice atmosphere. The place is old, so I guess it will be closed down temporarily, something like May to November, but I'm not sure of the exact dates now. For desert, there were two cake sets. I wanted Pistache Chocolat, so I ate most of that one, but had about half of the Savarin as well.

The Pistache Chocolat also has a some strawberry, which should not be ignored. Slicing the strawberry was a good idea I haven't seen in a similar cake (and I'll do more now at home, where I have a knife). This is pistachio whipped cream, I think, over chocolate mousse, cake, and crunchy bottom. It's not really stable, so really it should be removed from it's plastic base and laid on its side. They certainly shouldn't present it to customers with the plastic wrap still on it, I should think. They need to work on their presentation. As cake, though, it was simple and yet well balanced, rather sweet, but that worked for me. Perhaps out of perversity, because in my condition and the condition of the shop, it's hard to get back there, I'll say it was great. Of course, if I said it was excellent, I would still want to get back there as I collect third cakes from quite good shops, but I have a higher priority now. If I find another great cake, I can do a cake-off with it, but it will have to be see. We'll see what cake JPH introduces next month.

The Savarin was heavy on citrus but I couldn't taste any alcohol at all, so maybe no rum. It was still good but not my kind of thing, nor are verrine generally. Under the new rating system, one just good cake is not a big deal (I always assume the five more good cakes in the pool when estimating my chance of getting a great cake next).